She smoked for many years and a serious bout of bronchitis motivated her to quit. “I was so sick that I was scared,” Pierce says. “I didn’t even want to smoke anymore.”

Pierce sought guidance from the Smoking Research Program at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center and enrolled in Project 50+, a special cessation program for older smokers. The telephone support Pierce received, in combination with tips from others, helped her quit, for nearly a year now.

Project 50+ is a special program and study for older smokers who want to quit. It’s one of several support and education programs for smokers who want to stop.

“There is often a perception that once you reach a certain age it really doesn’t matter if you quit, but that’s not true,” says Deborah Ossip-Klein, Ph.D., director of the Smoking Research Program. “The risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting extend across the life span. People who quit smoking at all ages live longer, healthier lives.”

Ossip-Klein notes that during any given one-year period, about one-third of all smokers try to quit but fewer than 10 percent succeed. However, if you track smokers over their lifetime, more than 50 percent do ultimately succeed.

“Each quit attempt provides the smoker with practice that will lead to success. The message is to try again until you succeed,” says Ossip-Klein.

Former smokers, like Pierce, offer these tips for quitting smoking:

Remove all ashtrays, lighters, matches and cigarettes from the house. Just seeing them can make you want to smoke.